Home Sweet Home

Monday turned out to be a long day of waiting.

We waited for someone from the neuro surgeon's office to confirm E.'s discharge.

We waited for the diabetic trainer, who gave us 1/2 of the training we needed, and then said she'd return for the remainder since doing it all at once would be "overwhelming."

We waited for the medical doctor/hospitalist to give the "official ok" for discharge.

We waited for the diabetic trainer, who gave us the rest of the necessary education.

We waited for the medical doctor some more.

And some more. And some more.

We were thrilled to finally get the news that we could go home.

Then we waited for the nurse to remove E.'s port access.

We waited for all the discharge paperwork.

We waited for a wheelchair.

And then we were finally on our way!

Last stop: pharmacy. And guess what? We waited there too.

At the end of the day though, life was good. E. was at home. He sat in his recliner in the living room, watched some tv, visited with his dad and the kids, and ate some dinner.

He then got his handful of various medications and got situated in his spiffy circa 1970's hospital bed. Something still wasn't right though. Ahh yes, he was missing the remote controls. So, with the tv on and the remote controls in his hands, E. was soon in slumberland.

Sunday (8/29) News

There really isn't any new news.

E. continues to make progress. He did several laps around the floor today, as well as his physical therapy exercises. His medications have been modified a little. He took a shower and was able to clean his head and incision area a bit. Overall, he simply looks a lot better. A lot more stable. A lot more oriented. A lot more "with it."

We've decided a hospital bed would probably be beneficial at home, at least temporarily. We have a tall log bed and there was concern about him getting in and out of it. E. is also sleeping pretty elevated as to keep the pressure off of his head. A hospital bed will make that all easier, so one is being delivered to the house tomorrow. A 3 in 1 shower chair/beside commode/toilet support is also being delivered. I know some of you are jealous, so E. promised to loan it out once he is done with it. Go ahead and submit your name for the waiting list.

We have yet to hear back from the Diabetic Wellness folks to give us the Insulin 101 class, but we are hoping that will happen tomorrow morning. Then, fingers crossed, we'll be able to go home.

Hurricane Earl may be swirling around out there, but I'm tellin' you what ... our E. is a much bigger force to be reckoned with!

In Pictures

He doesn't look half-bad bald.

The swelling has really gone done in his right eye,

although we are told that swelling and discoloration can come and go.

And could get worse before it gets better.

A little better picture of the side view.

I guess "better" is all relative when you're looking at these kinds of pictures.

The front incision with 19 staples.

See the globby blood blobs we were talking about?

And the back incision with 16 staples.

A little "cleaner" looking.

The girls are teasing him . . .

He's bald and he's on steroids,

now all he needs is an earring. :)

Discussions re: Discharge

The hospital doctor did come in and confirmed that the blood clots are in the superficial vein of the arm, so that is good news. (If it had been a deep vein thrombosis or DVT, some sort of filter would have had to have been surgically placed since E. can't currently take blood thinners.) Warm compresses should help with the discomfort. E. was also advised not to be overly active with is right arm or lift anything heavy.

The hospital doctor also felt like E. and I could receive some "diabetic training" prior to discharge, which would allow E. to come home. We would learn more about monitoring his blood sugars and administering the right doses of insulin (regular insulin and long-acting insulin). The doctor has placed orders for that training, but I'm not sure when that will happen, or if a "diabetic trainer" is even available over the weekend.

Saturday (8/28) Update

E. had a decent night's sleep, but is still groggy. It is going to take a long time for his energy levels to come back up, and I think the extra sleep can only help him heal.

We still haven't seen a doctor regarding the blood clots, but heard a nurse mention that there were many tiny SUPERFICIAL clots. I expressed my relief, but she quickly pointed out that she cannot read any tests, nor provide any results. We would have to wait to hear from the doctor. E.'s arm, from the tips of his fingers to his elbow, is significantly swollen. It is also very tender to the touch.

E. took a lap around the entire floor again and seems to be getting more steady on his feet. When we returned to his room, he was ready to take a shower. He was able to get cleaned up (although neither of us felt comfortable washing his head, so the globby blood blobs remain). He brushed his teeth and combed his hair. Wait, strike that last part. He has no hair. :) The whole process really left him winded though. No sooner that we had got him back into bed, that the physical therapists arrived. Out he went for another walk around the floor. Then he had to do various exercises to help improve his balance (which has already shown an improvement from yesterday). Needless to say, he quickly fell asleep when he was done. The physical therapists did not feel like a rehab facility was necessary, but did recommend outpatient therapy (perhaps beginning with in-home therapy the first couple of weeks).

There have been a few small discussions regarding discharge planning. In terms of his head, he'll be ready to go home within the next few days. The problem that may keep him in the hospital though are his blood sugar levels. The steroids really wreak havoc on those levels. Although the steroids are slowly being tapered off, he'll still be on them for the next ten days or so. If he needs to remain hospitalized due to the blood sugar levels, we are going to request a transfer to a rehab facility. We are hoping that it would be quieter at a rehab facility than here in the hospital and he'd be able to get more rest. Everybody knows how hospitals have to be the worst place ever to actually sleep and rest. If there is a possibility that we can be educated on the insulin and administer it ourselves at home, we would prefer that.

Blood Clots

Remember the 45 minutes of pain E. was in last night after receiving his Dilantin? Well, maybe the blood clots were part of the problem! His right arm is swollen and has some discoloration. He has complained numerous times about the pain in that arm, but it definitely hit an all-time-high last night. Anyways, this afternoon, they finally did an ultrasound on his arm and we are told there are "multiple blood clots" in his arm. We are assuming they are superficial as he was told to keep warm blankets on his arm until the doctor reviews the ultrasound in the morning. I'm not sure what can be done since he cannot take blood thinners due to his brain surgery (they won't even flush his port with Heparin which is what the usual procedure is). Hopefully the doctor will just say that the blood clots will resolve themselves. (On a positive note, E. is now taking the Dilantin in oral pill form.)

E. was able to take another stroll around the floor, even at a quicker pace than this morning. It sure zaps his energy though and he's been dozing ever since. I am going to encourage him to take an evening walk before bedtime as the physical therapist recommended getting up and walking three times a day. E.'s personal walker was also delivered this afternoon. Anyone up for a little episode of "Pimp My Walker"? Just think of the possibilities. :)

A Walk(er)

E. was able to take a lap around the entire fourth floor with his walker. His walker!!! Bwahaha! I told him I'd get him a basket for the front of it (the girls think it needs a bell too). He told me to kiss his a$$. Can you believe he would say such a thing? :) The physical therapist didn't feel like a rehab facility would be necessary either, but did think that outpatient physical therapy would be beneficial for him. As she explained to us, because of his brain surgery, where he thinks is center is not really center. He seems to be having the most trouble with his balance and physical therapy can really help with that.

The stroll did tucker him out some and he's back asleep now. Like the physical therapist explained, he is going to get exhausted quickly while he is healing. His body is using lots of energy to try to heal his brain (and his high blood sugar levels are making his body work even harder), so any extra energy expended is most likely going to exhaust him. We plan on at least a couple more strolls around the floor today.

The progress he is making is quicker than I would have ever thought. This man is amazing. (You probably already knew that.)

S.